Gertrude Street

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Marion – Fitzroy – Saturday 3 December 2016 – Lunch

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Roast chicken and Andrew McConnell. Anyone who belittles the virtues of chicken has not tasted perfect roast chicken. There was a time where chicken was plain Jane. Go to Marion and a half roast chicken is anything but that!

The complication (besides salmonella) when cooking chicken is the fact that it is so often overcooked that we all believe it shouldn’t be soft and moist. We overcook it, bringing out extra salt in the skin, that compensates for some of the flavour lost as the chicken dries out. Then we cover it with any sauce to compensate, and have each mouthful with potatoes of some description.
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What is difficult to explain is why every time I eat chicken at one of McConnell’s restaurants, whether it be Cutler, or Luxembourg, or here at Marion, it is far better than the rest. Chicken, if nothing else, is certainly not new. It has been around. Why does it seem so complicated normally?

I’m not a chef, and I haven’t done food science in a Heston type manner, so I won’t be answering any of my own questions here. All I know is that you can come to a wine bar on Gertrude Street that serves beautiful quality food, along with interesting wine, and a damn fine roast chicken.

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The space is comfortable in the way a crowded, people filled space can be when everyone is having a good time. Service keeps to that script with good ability and reasonable attentiveness. Even our starter of peas, broadbeans, scamorza cheese and pistachios is amazing, almost impossible to set aside to wait to eat with our chicken and chips. Unable to help ourselves, we also tucked into dessert in the form of lemon tart with strawberries and basil. The pastry was slightly sweetened to counteract the savoury quality of the basil with a balanced curd that had us reaching for more.
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Almost genius is the fact that we are sitting in a restaurant that is literally next door to Andrew’s flagship, Cutler and Co, which continues to thrive, but could be miles away for all we know. The two are as separate as if they were in different suburbs. That naturally makes dining in them completely different experiences, making dining in one today, and the other tomorrow, absolutely no issue whatsoever. It goes without saying that this is far more lucrative than merely creating another branch.

While I think Marion might be close to genius, I am positive McConnell is pretty much there. Try the chicken.

Marion Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Gertrude Street Enoteca – Fitzroy – Saturday 4 July 2015 – Lunch

IMG_3878Reminders of Italy are not difficult to find in Melbourne. In many ways, Melbourne could lay claim to being one of the most Italian places outside of Italy. Gertude Street Enoteca is not classically reminiscent though of an Italian wine shop and bar.

Not that it is trying to be Italian. This is a place that features the ingredients, the techniques, but is quintessential modern Melbourne. This local take has been around for years but the only time I’ve tried Brigitte Hafner’s food is at a winery in Red Hill over summer.

It is cold, bitterly cold today, and winter has come. Sitting next to Catherine on the banquette at Gertrude Street is warming and comfortable. There before us are many wine friendly lunch dishes on offer, and more importantly, several expertly chosen wines by the glass. There is no rushing around by the staff, not to say that service is slow, just assured. Not long after ordering we have our carefully selected glasses of wine, and shortly after that we have a couple of dishes to share.

Gravlax at Gertrude Street Enoteca

Gravlax

Today we are drinking from the riches of Burgundy. Catherine with a chardonnay; me with a pinot noir. As you would expect from a revolving list of twenty wines, you really cannot put a foot wrong when it comes to wine. We share the gravlax, and a salumi platter. Both very reasonably priced, the salumi selection features sausage, a softer salumi like mortadella, and mild salami. Served with pickles, and giving fresh bread, the thin slices of meat are simplicity at its best.

The gravlax is still reasonably simple bistro food, but again is perfect. The salmon is bright and enticing, but shares centre stage with fluffy dill cream cheese, both enhanced by the classic additions of capers and extra thin pickles.

Pear and frangipane tart

Pear and frangipane tart

Relaxing here with a great glass of wine and sharing delicious ultra wine friendly dishes is something we could get used to doing. With no immediate plans for a trip to Europe, we may have to come back sooner rather than later.

Rather than cutting today short we decide to stay for dessert. There are several options with some tarts, cakes, and pastries. We choose the pear and frangipane tart and we chose well! It is perfectly executed, the quality of the pastry, slightly sweeter than usual, particularly good. Impressively there is a mini Synesso machine and the espresso is a good quality.

As we step out the door we wonder why we have left the comforting indoors on this terribly cold day. While there would ordinarily be an opportunity to browse at the diverse offering of retail along Gertrude Street, today we hardly make it past Belle’s Hot Chicken before we scurry to the car. Maybe we’ll have another wine next time around.

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Belle’s Hot Chicken – Fitzroy – Sunday 1 March 2015 – Lunch

IMG_3500Chefs say all the time that “less is more”. It is obviously a figurative phrase that is probably better said as “focus is the most important ingredient”. To add a diner’s perspective, there are not many pared back menus that have focus and intelligence that I don’t love.

I can be easily confused. But walking into some restaurants and reading the menu I can be sure that the owners have not first determined the strengths of the chefs and based the food and accompanying aspects around it. More and more focus is becoming a feature. Small, carefully crafted menus, that everything else about the restaurant is derivative of. In years it will not be the exception but the rule, resembling the same way seasonal produce became the norm.

It started with blackboard menus that by their very nature are temporary. It has now developed into restaurants, not just surviving but thriving, doing hundreds of covers a night, where before you couldn’t guarantee a crowd so you had to make do with the corner take away joint. Think of souvlaki stands. Now the equivalent is a Jimmy Grants or the slightly fancier Gazi. Think what places like Hunky Dory have done to the corner fish shop; or Fonda and what it has done to our version of “basic Mexican”; not to mention the number of burger joints serving up greatness making the chains unnecessary from most angles. This is all over a small amount of time.

Well, the best example in recent times of brilliant focus is Belle’s Hot Chicken. It is difficult to compare the Southern fried chicken here but if you are comparing to one we all know, and some love (KFC) it is like last year’s AFL Grand Final between Hawthorn and Sydney. To explain, BHC makes KFC look worse than second rate.

The menu is short and sweet, meaning everything on it needs to be exceptional. It is a choice of different cuts of chicken (along with a fish, and a mushroom option), in a sauce ranging from mild to extremely hot, with several classic sides on offer, and a few specials too. The other theme is the natural wines on offer, which is intriguing, and will be highlighted in a new bar next door (coming soon).

IMG_3499We ordered according to our preference. There is no way to make this sound right so I’ll just say that Catherine is a breast girl and I am a leg guy! Catherine’s “tenders” done Southern (ie no heat) were still beautifully cooked and definitely true to their name. My “dark meat” cooked medium had just a steady kick but definitely added good flavour and I recommend having at minimum medium heat for this reason. Personally, I like chilli, and although I have a medium heat threshold, next time I’ll be opting for the “hot” which is the mid-point on the heat spectrum. The “Old Bay fries” on the side are as delicious as chips come, and the coleslaw was nice too, although a touch heavy on the mayo as is often encountered in American cooking.

Catherine had a glass of the palate-refreshing slightly sweetened ice tea. I had a glass of the Arneis, which was viscous and acidic enough to provide a nice balance to the fried chicken, with a good amount of forward fruit. As we finished our baskets of chicken it hit me how well thought out this relatively little restaurant is, with attention to detail and striking features (namely the “diner” sign) all adding to the experience. Nothing tacky whatsoever, and definitely sleek for a fried chicken joint. Our waitperson was polished too, making light work of the many tables in her section.

It is hard not to be impressed by everything Belle’s is dishing out. It might seem simple at first glance, but this is a fried chicken restaurant done exceptionally well.

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